Why Is Thailand So Messed Up In Many Areas?

[PeaceBlondie]

I simply can't see how Thai culture (sociology, ways of thinking, hierarchies, old money, customs, etc.) are going to change fast enough to keep up with other countries, even in South East Asia. The real rulers want Thailand for the Thais, and won't educate the masses, nor will they allow the freedom of expression needed to change to a modern society. Three generations from now, countries like Thailand and Nicaragua will exist as Other World islands in a postmodern world. Unless, of course, some violent or nonviolent form of revolution changes Thailand so completely that it's unrecognizable.

[whopper]

I cant see it either peace blondie, too much history....

[IMA_FARANG]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

And your point is?????

Everything you mention is just the natural consequence of human beings who are trying to take care of themselves in a political and social mess that is the product of greed, love of money, and a government that rewards those who have wealth over those who must work to survive. It is known as capitalisim and can be seen in it's advanced degenerative form in such countries as the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom. It isn't unique to Thailand. Get used to it. It's the wave of the future.

[dog412]

one of the first basic steps, would be to "organize" labor. with the amount of multi million baht construction going on here, their is little excuse for "cheap" foreign labor, unless Thais are unwilling to perform the tasks "no matter what the wage'. picket the sites and "demand" a fair wage. of course this would also require a "fair days pay for a fair days work". this is how to create a profession. Thailand should have been putting this in place long ago.

[freitag1]

In my opinion everything starts with education. As long as the education system of Thailand is like it is, we won't see much change in the right direction. My girlfriends English teacher couldn't speak English at all and even pronounced some basic words completely wrong. That's kinda normal. Why would any Thai who can speaks good English become an underpaid teacher? Kinda funny that some farangs come here to work for 30.000 baht as English teachers though... well if it wasn't for the girls and the weather...

[disgruntled]

Intelligence has nothing to do with caring or morality in my view. I see it as the people who have here really don't give a hoot about the poor people. The poor people here get my sympathy and at the same time my scorn. They do need educating. The old-money hiso haves will never give it to them. As you can see from the political situationt hey are easily manipulated. Someday the wrong person will come along and a flashback to Cambodia's horrible past will come about. If you kick a do long enough, eventually it will atttack you. People act the same way.

[JetsetBkk]

Do we really want Thailand and other developing countries to be USA clones?

You mean LoS isn't?

Let's see: LoS now has Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day & Halloween.

None of there are anything to do with Thai culture, but some farang decided thet were essential here (or could make money out of it).

You think it was a farang who decided to make money out of those events? Give the Thias some credit, please!

[tijnebijn]

Well yes indeed

[pointofview]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

If you'd looked at Western nations 100 years ago with modern eyes you could have made very similar accusations. A nation can't go from developing to developed in a single leap. It takes a couple of generations. Thailand is evolving in all these areas.

To expect perfection on day one is a bit unreasonable. Even God took 6 days to create the world. Another 3 generations and Thailand won't be too dissimilar to the most advanced countries in both economic and socio-political aspects

Many so called developed countrys are now in a state of undeveloping - in less than a few generations. So lets hope developing nations take heed. As for god making the world in 6 days - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

[torrenova]

When one makes reference to the time it takes to change from a subsistance farming to services orientated economy the parallels with western countries taking 100 years or more are meaningless. At that time, there was no more advanced nation to which we aspired. Developing nations were all going at the same speed give or take a margin.

What you have now is Thailand split in two, the haves and the have nots. The rich do not want the poor to become better and they use their power and influence to widen the distance between the two halves.

Rather than see a more equal society over the forthcoming decades, I see the opposite and a mandarin elite which only ever serves its own purpose.

[Theyreallrubbish]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

If you'd looked at Western nations 100 years ago with modern eyes you could have made very similar accusations. A nation can't go from developing to developed in a single leap. It takes a couple of generations. Thailand is evolving in all these areas.

To expect perfection on day one is a bit unreasonable. Even God took 6 days to create the world. Another 3 generations and Thailand won't be too dissimilar to the most advanced countries in both economic and socio-political aspects

Many so called developed countrys are now in a state of undeveloping - in less than a few generations. So lets hope developing nations take heed. As for god making the world in 6 days - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

God creating the world in 6 days is a figure of speech used by native speakers. Sorry for any confusion

As for developed countries undeveloping - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

[Jingthing]

As for developed countries undeveloping - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

Well in the US, the infrastructure is crumbling fast. Check the number of bridges that need to be fixed there, it is staggering.

[Theyreallrubbish]

As for developed countries undeveloping - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

Well in the US, the infrastructure is crumbling fast. Check the number of bridges that need to be fixed there, it is staggering.

Only because the number of bridges is staggering. And there have been how many collapses? Just one or maybe two a decade.

I have no doubt that this rate will not increase and that they will be fixed.

My major complaint driving in the west is actually the amount of road repairs they do. Then I drive through Thailand and see a brand new highway with pot holes and remember to stop complaining!

In the West the infrastructure is in a constant state of improvement on top of a base that is over 100 years old in many cases. But it is being constantly improved and very rarely fails and if it does fail is very quickly fixed. I see no evidence of "undevelopment" only constant upgrading and improvement.

[pointofview]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

If you'd looked at Western nations 100 years ago with modern eyes you could have made very similar accusations. A nation can't go from developing to developed in a single leap. It takes a couple of generations. Thailand is evolving in all these areas.

To expect perfection on day one is a bit unreasonable. Even God took 6 days to create the world. Another 3 generations and Thailand won't be too dissimilar to the most advanced countries in both economic and socio-political aspects

Many so called developed countrys are now in a state of undeveloping - in less than a few generations. So lets hope developing nations take heed. As for god making the world in 6 days - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

God creating the world in 6 days is a figure of speech used by native speakers. Sorry for any confusion

As for developed countries undeveloping - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

The proof of decline in so called developed countries is vast - but first you must look! God created the world in 6 days is not just a figure of speach - there are 100s of millions of 'convicts who hold this conviction'

PS Try looking into breakdown in social, moral and religious values throughout the west: Uk eg. - 50% single parent familys and rising; out of control drug and alcohol abuse; unprecidented household debt; family values constantly being undermined; constant errosion of human rights and individual freedoms, etc etc. Proof for the sighted not the blind!

Edited December 22, 2007 by pointofview

[blizzard]

edukation is one thing! or is that like same same.

[TheDon]

IMO Thailand has come a hel_l of a long way in 20 years, probaly within 50 years maybe less Thailand will probaly be totally different to today

[jumnien]

When things don't go my way here in Thailand it's easier to blame it on Thailand than to take a look at my own karma. Usually, the answer is in this self-examination. Newspapers are evil in this regard.

[Theyreallrubbish]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

If you'd looked at Western nations 100 years ago with modern eyes you could have made very similar accusations. A nation can't go from developing to developed in a single leap. It takes a couple of generations. Thailand is evolving in all these areas.

To expect perfection on day one is a bit unreasonable. Even God took 6 days to create the world. Another 3 generations and Thailand won't be too dissimilar to the most advanced countries in both economic and socio-political aspects

Many so called developed countrys are now in a state of undeveloping - in less than a few generations. So lets hope developing nations take heed. As for god making the world in 6 days - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

God creating the world in 6 days is a figure of speech used by native speakers. Sorry for any confusion

As for developed countries undeveloping - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

The proof of decline in so called developed countries is vast - but first you must look! God created the world in 6 days is not just a figure of speach - there are 100s of millions of 'convicts who hold this conviction'

PS Try looking into breakdown in social, moral and religious values throughout the west: Uk eg. - 50% single parent familys and rising; out of control drug and alcohol abuse; unprecidented household debt; family values constantly being undermined; constant errosion of human rights and individual freedoms, etc etc. Proof for the sighted not the blind!

Illegal drug use has stabilised or is declining in most western countries, alcohol abuse, the same. There is unprecedented household debt, but there is also unprecedented household wealth with incomes in the west at an all time high. Average lifespans are at an all time high, infant mortality at an all time low, cancer survival rates at an all time high. Almost all of the developed world has more forest cover now than it did in 1900. The west has cleaner air and water than at any time since 1750. Almost all developed country homes have central heating and potable water. All children in developed nations have free education up to the age of 18 and subsidised education beyond that and test scores have steadily increased over the last couple of decades. Most crime statistics have been declining for the last decade.

What human rights and individual freedoms have been eroded? Please be specific, as I am unaware of any human right of mine that been withdrawn or weakened in any way. In fact, the European Convention on Human Rights has expanded and strengthened most of them.

The rest of your "proof" is a repetition of the decline of "values" Values can mean different things to different people. Obviously if you are of the opinion that children in daycare is a decline in family values, then you are going to be in disagreement with those who value the right of women to work outside the family home. If you think family values are damaged by children being raised in non-nuclear families then you are going to be in disagreement with those who value the right of people to choose different living arrangements.

Seems to me you dislike the west and have an emotional opinion of the decline of the west rather than an evidence based one.

The nations that are today classified as developed hold a larger share of global GDP than they did in 1900, a time of Western Imperial hegemony.

Not much of a decline there

The developed nations of today are wealthier, healthier, safer and smarter than they have ever been.

[PeaceBlondie]

Folks, maybe we're using the wrong models as our example. I believe that many of the dozens of countries loosely described as "developing" - a euphemism for "undeveloped" - are developing little at all, or declining. We're discussing the future of Thailand, a country which has entered the modern age in the last 50 or 100 years. Progress (however measured) is a moving target, and Thailand is not moving forward fast enough to keep pace, IMHO.

In fact, some form of "sustained" development might be realistic. Maintain the current split between rich and poor, retain the archaic and unsuccessful system of non-education, and let them eat somtam and ride small Honda bikes.

[huggybear]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

If you'd looked at Western nations 100 years ago with modern eyes you could have made very similar accusations. A nation can't go from developing to developed in a single leap. It takes a couple of generations. Thailand is evolving in all these areas.

To expect perfection on day one is a bit unreasonable. Even God took 6 days to create the world. Another 3 generations and Thailand won't be too dissimilar to the most advanced countries in both economic and socio-political aspects

and on the 8th day God went surfing

[thaibound]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

My God!!!!! look at your own country !!!!!!!!

[pointofview]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

My God!!!!! look at your own country !!!!!!!!

In the land of the blind 'fox news' is the truth!

Americans can have a stange world view (not all). They think because corruption in the US is in the hands of the top few percent then it doesnt exist. The media sound bites which they speak - as if their own thoughs - do not teach much in the way of fact!

Edited December 23, 2007 by pointofview

[blizzard]

thailand does know how to party which is what most care about, i think............

[pointofview]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

If you'd looked at Western nations 100 years ago with modern eyes you could have made very similar accusations. A nation can't go from developing to developed in a single leap. It takes a couple of generations. Thailand is evolving in all these areas.

To expect perfection on day one is a bit unreasonable. Even God took 6 days to create the world. Another 3 generations and Thailand won't be too dissimilar to the most advanced countries in both economic and socio-political aspects

Many so called developed countrys are now in a state of undeveloping - in less than a few generations. So lets hope developing nations take heed. As for god making the world in 6 days - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

God creating the world in 6 days is a figure of speech used by native speakers. Sorry for any confusion

As for developed countries undeveloping - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

The proof of decline in so called developed countries is vast - but first you must look! God created the world in 6 days is not just a figure of speach - there are 100s of millions of 'convicts who hold this conviction'

PS Try looking into breakdown in social, moral and religious values throughout the west: Uk eg. - 50% single parent familys and rising; out of control drug and alcohol abuse; unprecidented household debt; family values constantly being undermined; constant errosion of human rights and individual freedoms, etc etc. Proof for the sighted not the blind!

Illegal drug use has stabilised or is declining in most western countries, alcohol abuse, the same. There is unprecedented household debt, but there is also unprecedented household wealth with incomes in the west at an all time high. Average lifespans are at an all time high, infant mortality at an all time low, cancer survival rates at an all time high. Almost all of the developed world has more forest cover now than it did in 1900. The west has cleaner air and water than at any time since 1750. Almost all developed country homes have central heating and potable water. All children in developed nations have free education up to the age of 18 and subsidised education beyond that and test scores have steadily increased over the last couple of decades. Most crime statistics have been declining for the last decade.

What human rights and individual freedoms have been eroded? Please be specific, as I am unaware of any human right of mine that been withdrawn or weakened in any way. In fact, the European Convention on Human Rights has expanded and strengthened most of them.

The rest of your "proof" is a repetition of the decline of "values" Values can mean different things to different people. Obviously if you are of the opinion that children in daycare is a decline in family values, then you are going to be in disagreement with those who value the right of women to work outside the family home. If you think family values are damaged by children being raised in non-nuclear families then you are going to be in disagreement with those who value the right of people to choose different living arrangements.

Seems to me you dislike the west and have an emotional opinion of the decline of the west rather than an evidence based one.

The nations that are today classified as developed hold a larger share of global GDP than they did in 1900, a time of Western Imperial hegemony.

Not much of a decline there

The developed nations of today are wealthier, healthier, safer and smarter than they have ever been.

American Patriot Act - Google EU Constitution - 107,000 new regulations and laws - google

Single parent families (name yor place) - google UK eg - 60% of housholds dependent on state handouts - google North American Union - Google

Talking from a standpoint of the UK most working people have never been so poor and depressed - ofcourse there will always be those who get ahead.

From a marxis/facist viewpoint a non nuclear family is positvie - from my view point it is decline. People dont choose - agendas are pushed. Even homosexuality is promoted as normal - decline!

Edited December 23, 2007 by pointofview

[howtoescape]

thailand does know how to party which is what most care about, i think............

That is the reality of what keeps people here and brings most of us back.

Lets hope for another coup in 2008, to keep the status quo.

[Theyreallrubbish]

I'm an American luk kreung and since childhood have been to LOS many, many times with family and have noticed a practically pandemic amount of corruption, a huge amount of 'gold digging' going on, along with ignorance, arrogant xenophobia, apathethic worldview, pathological snobbishness by the wealthier Thais, shallow media, and generally bad examples of behavior for future generations and visitors that are going to hold Thailand back from what I believe could be a truly better society.

I usually keep these opinions to myself and simply mark them down as signs of Thailand being another country that's still very much a developing society.

But I'm disappointed.

Is LOS going to change from these any time soon or is my dream of a nice society in Thailand something that could only happen in the distant future?

If you'd looked at Western nations 100 years ago with modern eyes you could have made very similar accusations. A nation can't go from developing to developed in a single leap. It takes a couple of generations. Thailand is evolving in all these areas.

To expect perfection on day one is a bit unreasonable. Even God took 6 days to create the world. Another 3 generations and Thailand won't be too dissimilar to the most advanced countries in both economic and socio-political aspects

Many so called developed countrys are now in a state of undeveloping - in less than a few generations. So lets hope developing nations take heed. As for god making the world in 6 days - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

God creating the world in 6 days is a figure of speech used by native speakers. Sorry for any confusion

As for developed countries undeveloping - any proof of this or is it just a conviction?

The proof of decline in so called developed countries is vast - but first you must look! God created the world in 6 days is not just a figure of speach - there are 100s of millions of 'convicts who hold this conviction'

PS Try looking into breakdown in social, moral and religious values throughout the west: Uk eg. - 50% single parent familys and rising; out of control drug and alcohol abuse; unprecidented household debt; family values constantly being undermined; constant errosion of human rights and individual freedoms, etc etc. Proof for the sighted not the blind!

Illegal drug use has stabilised or is declining in most western countries, alcohol abuse, the same. There is unprecedented household debt, but there is also unprecedented household wealth with incomes in the west at an all time high. Average lifespans are at an all time high, infant mortality at an all time low, cancer survival rates at an all time high. Almost all of the developed world has more forest cover now than it did in 1900. The west has cleaner air and water than at any time since 1750. Almost all developed country homes have central heating and potable water. All children in developed nations have free education up to the age of 18 and subsidised education beyond that and test scores have steadily increased over the last couple of decades. Most crime statistics have been declining for the last decade.

What human rights and individual freedoms have been eroded? Please be specific, as I am unaware of any human right of mine that been withdrawn or weakened in any way. In fact, the European Convention on Human Rights has expanded and strengthened most of them.

The rest of your "proof" is a repetition of the decline of "values" Values can mean different things to different people. Obviously if you are of the opinion that children in daycare is a decline in family values, then you are going to be in disagreement with those who value the right of women to work outside the family home. If you think family values are damaged by children being raised in non-nuclear families then you are going to be in disagreement with those who value the right of people to choose different living arrangements.

Seems to me you dislike the west and have an emotional opinion of the decline of the west rather than an evidence based one.

The nations that are today classified as developed hold a larger share of global GDP than they did in 1900, a time of Western Imperial hegemony.

Not much of a decline there

The developed nations of today are wealthier, healthier, safer and smarter than they have ever been.

American Patriot Act - Google EU Constitution - 107,000 new regulations and laws - google

Single parent families (name yor place) - google UK eg - 60% of housholds dependent on state handouts - google North American Union - Google

Talking from a standpoint of the UK most working people have never been so poor and depressed - ofcourse there will always be those who get ahead.

From a marxis/facist viewpoint a non nuclear family is positvie - from my view point it is decline. People dont choose - agendas are pushed. Even homosexuality is promoted as normal - decline!

Most working people in the UK have never been so poor and depressed!?! Have you ever been to the UK? I'm just old enough to remember the 1970s and early 1980s and Britain is a vastly wealthier country bursting with opportunities and is more of a meritocracy than even the US. Income mobility is higher in the UK than the US. Both of which are vastly higher than any developing nation.

Per capita GDP in most developed countries is 5 times higher than it was in 1900. 5 TIMES higher! And income distribution has widened over the last 2 decades, but its still far more evenly distributed than it was in 1900.

Probably 99% of British households depend on state handouts if you include the NHS and education. 100% of British families with children get handouts. Claiming this shows that developed nations are undeveloping simply shows you have no idea how a developed nation operates.

I asked you specifically to name a human right that has been taken away from me. You told me to go to Google it. You were the one that stated that rights are being lost, you provide the evidence to back up your claim.

I've never seen anything that has promoted homosexuality as normal. I have seen a push to end discrimination against homosexuals. I would suggest you expose yourself to the same material as you seem to take it as an a priori fact that homosexuality is a sign of decline. Even if that were the case, rates of homosexual sexual experiences for males have not risen since the "Golden Age of the nuclear family" of the 1950s when the first anonymous surveys were done and they have risen only slightly for women.

The nuclear family itself is a historical oddity that arose as a result of the industrial revolution and the rise of the clock as a dominant factor in human affairs. Apart from a short period of time in a small number of nations the nuclear family has never been the norm for humans in all of human history across all human cultures. The extended family is the norm. The vast majority of single mothers exist as part of extended families. The decline of the nuclear family may be a normal part of the development of nations from industrial to service.

Even if the decline of the nuclear family is a bad thing, its not showing up in the statistics, crime, health, wealth, longevity, etc. as I posted earlier are all still improving despite this horrendous thing that is supposed to be destroying the developed world.

The facts aren't there to justify your dream of the decline of the west.

[Spee]

Do we really want Thailand and other developing countries to be USA clones?

You mean LoS isn't?

Let's see: LoS now has Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day & Halloween.

None of there are anything to do with Thai culture, but some farang decided thet were essential here (or could make money out of it).

You think it was a farang who decided to make money out of those events? Give the Thias some credit, please!

And why are most of the "Thailand is going down the sh*thole" opinions a bordline anti-American rant? Thailand is an international country with as big or bigger impact and influence from Australia, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Japan, China, and most of western Europe. Facts are facts. Thailand is largely a rural agrarian nation. To expect it to change all at once into some international economic powerhourse with good paying jobs and prosperity for all, is asking a bit much, for Thailand or any other emerging nation.

Personally, I just want to live my life, share my life with my partner, and help her and her family to enjoy a better lifestyle. To be able to do that, I (and anyone else in my position) wil just have to adjust and adapt with whatever changes go on in the country. I fully expect to have to take some not so good along with the good over time.

[meemiathai]

Do we really want Thailand and other developing countries to be USA clones?

You mean LoS isn't?

Let's see: LoS now has Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day & Halloween.

None of there are anything to do with Thai culture, but some farang decided thet were essential here (or could make money out of it).

You think it was a farang who decided to make money out of those events? Give the Thias some credit, please!

And why are most of the "Thailand is going down the sh*thole" opinions a bordline anti-American rant? Thailand is an international country with as big or bigger impact and influence from Australia, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Japan, China, and most of western Europe. Facts are facts. Thailand is largely a rural agrarian nation. To expect it to change all at once into some international economic powerhourse with good paying jobs and prosperity for all, is asking a bit much, for Thailand or any other emerging nation.

Personally, I just want to live my life, share my life with my partner, and help her and her family to enjoy a better lifestyle. To be able to do that, I (and anyone else in my position) wil just have to adjust and adapt with whatever changes go on in the country. I fully expect to have to take some not so good along with the good over time.

[pgs]

Do we really want Thailand and other developing countries to be USA clones?

You mean LoS isn't?

Let's see: LoS now has Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day & Halloween.

None of there are anything to do with Thai culture, but some farang decided thet were essential here (or could make money out of it).

You think it was a farang who decided to make money out of those events? Give the Thias some credit, please!

And why are most of the "Thailand is going down the sh*thole" opinions a bordline anti-American rant? Thailand is an international country with as big or bigger impact and influence from Australia, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Japan, China, and most of western Europe. Facts are facts. Thailand is largely a rural agrarian nation. To expect it to change all at once into some international economic powerhourse with good paying jobs and prosperity for all, is asking a bit much, for Thailand or any other emerging nation.

Personally, I just want to live my life, share my life with my partner, and help her and her family to enjoy a better lifestyle. To be able to do that, I (and anyone else in my position) wil just have to adjust and adapt with whatever changes go on in the country. I fully expect to have to take some not so good along with the good over time.

As none of these were part of their culture or history, the concept would have to have been introduced by farangs. I hadn't mentioned any particular nationality, but if you have a guilty conscience...

I do agree with your last paragraph. If I make a start with the 'anti-yank rant', the thread would be closed so quick, so I'll leave that one alone.

[candoman89]

Because Thais are incharge. Never seen such a bumbling bunch of incompetents as a Thai government (pick any one of them). Even my Thai friends wonder how the country can be so screwed up.

When you ask a Thai about changing something you always get the same answer.................this is the way its done in Thailand.

Fair enough, it is their country.

Why then are they always going on overseas visits for training, fact finding etc. etc. (could be the daily per diem that gov't officials get ).

Which brings up another interesting observation. One of those who can't be named is revered for going to europe, introducing new methods and ways of thinking to Thailand; why was that a good thing then and not now?

Thailand............the land of contradictions.